Out Takes

30 Oct 2023

Hollywood’s Gay Golden Age with special guests Larry Duplechan and Stephen Kijak

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Hollywood’s Gay Golden Age with special guests Larry Duplechan and Stephen Kijak

For this Out Takes, we got nostalgic for the gay golden days of Hollywood by looking at a new documentary and book that both explore many of the films and stars of 20^th Century cinema and their impact on our community, then and now.

Our first guest for this program was Stephen Kijak, the director of ROCK HUDSON: ALL THAT HEAVEN ALLOWED, a wonderful new documentary that is an intimate portrait of one of Hollywood’s most celebrated leading men of the 1950’s and ‘60’s and an icon of Hollywood’s Golden Age, whose diagnosis and eventual death from AIDS in 1985 shocked the world, subsequently shifting the way the public perceived the pandemic. The film examines not only Hudson’s cinematic and cultural legacy but takes a rare and sometimes heart-breaking look at his private life through interviews with close friends and former lovers. ‘Rock Hudson: All that Heaven Allowed’ is available to rent and buy on digital now.

Our second guest has a fantastic new book that celebrates the films and magical movie moments that shape our queer identity. Larry Duplechan is a critically acclaimed award-winning American novelist and film lover. His latest book is ‘Movies that Made Me Gay’, a deeply affecting personal memoir and anthology of essays that celebrates his love of cinema and it’s connection to his life and career. From classic Hollywood musicals to definitive black films, from queer cinema to the latest cinematic releases, Larry Duplechan reframes gay cinema through the lens of a life lived observing the community’s journey from persecution to emancipation to acceptance.